THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,490 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,490 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story | 3/14/2019

Weekend Preview: Week 5

Patrick Ebert
Mike Rooney
Photo: Evan McKendry (Richard Lewis/Miami Athletics)

College Top 25 | Player/Pitcher of the Week | College Player Database

After ACC play got underway last weekend, this week marks a more widespread beginning to conference action, particularly in three more Power 5 leagues: the SEC, Pac-12 and Big 12. As a result, there are more meaningful, impactful series being played from one coast to the other – which of course will continue between now and the end of the year – as we try to get a better read on teams only five weeks into the regular season.

The biggest weekend series takes place out west as UCLA's challenging early-season schedule continues as they host No. 1 Oregon State to Los Angeles. Both teams have one of the nation's top pitching units, although both lineups also have no problem scoring runs. UCLA's Ryan Garcia continued to work towards more regular weekend starting work with a two-inning stint to open the Bruins midweek game, a 2-0 win, against Long Beach State while we're awaiting word on the status of Oregon State ace Kevin Abel, whose turn in the rotation was skipped last weekend

Take your pick from just above any SEC matchup, but the marquee ones to watch has No. 2 Vanderbilt traveling to College Station to take on No. 18 Texas A&M and No. 5 Mississippi State playing No. 6 Florida in Gainesville. Mike Rooney takes a quick look at all seven SEC opening series below.

Raleigh/Durham and the surrounding areas will be especially busy in ACC action as there are three impact series that will be difficult to choose between: Miami at No. 10 North Carolina, No. 12 Florida State at No. 17 NC State and No. 8 Louisville at Duke. We dive a little deeper into these three series below.

Last but certainly not least you have a huge series in Austin kicking off Big 12 play as No. 9 Texas Tech hosts No. 13 Texas. The Red Raiders appeared to get back on track, particularly offensively, going 5-0 last week after an 0-2 showing at the Frisco Classic while Texas hopes to do the same this week after losing three of four at Stanford.
 
Stay tuned to Perfect Game this weekend as Jheremy Brown will be on hand for Kansas at St. John's in New York and Steve Fiorindo will report from the UCLA/Oregon State series in Los Angeles.


Top 25 in Action
Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Oregon State at No. 3 UCLA Los Angeles, CA
2 Vanderbilt at No. 18 Texas A&M College Station, TX
3 UCLA home vs. No. 3 Oregon State Los Angeles, CA
4 Stanford no games scheduled NA
5 Mississippi State at No. 6 Florida Gainesville, FL
6 Florida home vs. No. 5 Mississippi State Gainesville, FL
7 Ole Miss home vs. Alabama Oxford, MS
8 Louisville at Duke Durham, NC
9 Texas Tech at No. 13 Texas Austin, TX
10 North Carolina home vs. Miami Chapel Hill, NC
11 Arkansas home vs. Missouri Fayetteville, AR
12 Florida State at No. 17 NC State Raleigh, NC
13 Texas home vs. No. 9 Texas Tech Austin, TX
14 Louisiana State home vs. Kentucky Baton Rouge, LA
15 Auburn home vs. Tennessee Auburn, AL
16 East Carolina at Maryland College Park, MD
17 NC State home vs. No. 12 Florida State Raleigh, NC
18 Texas A&M home vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt College Station, TX
19 Coastal Carolina at Louisiana-Monroe Monroe, LA
20 Texas Christian home vs. Eastern Michigan Fort Worth, TX
21 Georgia at South Carolina Columbia, SC
22 Arizona State home vs. Washington State Tempe, AZ
23 UC Irvine at Utah Valley Orem, UT
24 Clemson home vs. Notre Dame Clemson, SC
25 Connecticut vs. Michigan State Greenville, SC


March Madness

Six of the ACC’s best will be converging in the Raleigh/Durham, Chapel Hill, N.C., area this weekend for what should be three hyper-competitive series. Miami will be at No. 10 North Carolina, No. 8 Louisville will be at Duke and No. 17 NC State hosts No. 12 Florida State. Miami, while currently unranked, is making some very loud noise to be considered for the Top 25 while Duke isn’t too far behind.

Starting with the highest ranked team, Louisville has been as strong as always on both sides of the ball and it all starts with their staff ace Reid Detmers. Detmers has already claimed ACC Pitcher of the Week honors twice this season and he’s been part of three straight shutouts after fanning 13 Boston College hitters most recently in 7 2/3 innings. He now has 41 strikeouts (and only five walks) in 27 2/3 innings this year, missing bats at an incredible rate, with a 0.33 ERA, which is eighth-best in the nation. Saturday starter, another lefthander in Nick Bennett, is also 3-0 on the year while Bryan Hoeing has performed admirably in the Sunday spot for a team that has a cumulative 2.39 ERA.

Duke is built in a similar fashion, with a good, not great offense supporting a dynamic pitching staff. Graeme Stinson is one of the top draft prospects available this June and the big lefthander also has a knack for missing bats, although not quite at the same pace (23-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15 2/3 innings) of Detmers. The Duke coaching staff has been a little more cautious with all of their starters, as they have yet to have an arm reach 20 innings. However, Stinson is one of six hurlers that have already reached 20 strikeouts, with three more in the teens, pointing to a high-octane staff that knows how to miss bats.

All three games likely will be closely contested given the amount of arm talent each teams has, which always plays favor to the home team. However, Louisville appears to be gaining momentum having won 12 of their last 14 games, which includes a midweek sweep of Ole Miss.

North Carolina will have no easy task trying to rebound from last weekend’s sweep at the hands of Clemson with 14-3 Miami coming to town. At least the Tar Heels will be playing at home this week and they did bounce back with a pair of midweek wins over Gardner-Webb and UNCW. The weekend trio of Gianluca Dalatri, Tyler Baum (outside of his start last weekend) and Austin Bergner has been strong so far this year, the bullpen is deep and the lineup is dangerous one through nine. That’s the nutshell version of why they’re ranked in the top 10.

Despite losing their series at Florida a couple of weeks ago, Miami has looked equally strong so far this year. Their weekend trio of Evan McKendry, Chris McMahon and Brian Van Belle can match up with any other unit in the nation, and freshman Slade Cecconi has been dynamite during midweek games while Greg Valiez has emerged as a versatile bullpen ace. Freddy Zamora, Adrian Del Castillo and Alex Toral have been doing most of the damage in the middle of the Hurricanes’ lineup for a team that is batting .311 with 23 home runs already on the season.

For however unlikely it seems that UNC could lose two consecutive weekend series to open ACC play, they’re going to have to regroup quickly to avoid just that against what looks to be a very dangerous Miami team in Gino DiMare’s first year at the helm.

Scoring runs shouldn’t be a problem in Raleigh with the Seminoles taking on the Wolfpack this weekend. FSU has some dangerous hitters spread throughout their lineup, and while it’s anchored by slugging third baseman Drew Mendoza, it’s been the production of three freshmen – Elijah Cabell, Robby Martina and Nander De Sedas – that has drawn the most attention. Mix in some big hits off the bats of J.C. Flowers and Mike Salvatore and you have one of the most well-rounded offenses in the ACC.

And we say “one of” due to the presence of NC State, who boast arguably the most feared 2-3-4 hitters in the conference with shortstop Will Wilson, first baseman Evan Edwards and catcher Patrick Bailey. For as good as the offense is the pitching has been the bigger pleasant surprise in the team’s perfect 17-0 start to the season. Friday starter Jason Parker is 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA in four starts. Canaan Silver is 1-0, 3.18 and Reid Johnston has taken the third weekend role recently with similar results (2-0, 1.35). Add in a very deep bullpen headlined by hard-throwing closer Dalton Feeney and you have yet another deep, well-balanced staff.

It would seem unlikely that NC State’s undefeated season lasts past this weekend, but they could be trading places with Florida State in the rankings come Monday.

– Patrick Ebert


Marquee Matchups

Early returns in 2019 say that the two power leagues in college baseball are the Pac-12 and the SEC. And both leagues offer monster series this weekend in the conference kickoff. Here’s a quick look at some of the major themes at play.

Oregon State at UCLA
It’s a battle of Top 3 teams. More importantly, this is a showdown between two teams on the short list of national title favorites.

Coming into the season, Oregon State was known as a team with elite pitching. But where would the offensive production come from outside of Adley Rutschman and Tyler Malone?

UCLA entered 2019 with arguably the nation’s most dynamic offense. But could John Savage piece together a pitching staff that would be good enough to go deep in June?

The nonconference results for both clubs have been strong. Yet each club’s question marks resurface this weekend as this matchup poses a next level test.

This matchup will be fun for several reasons. First, we have strength (Beaver pitching) versus strength (UCLA offense). Second, we’ll have both of the aforementioned question marks facing off. It’s time for a temperature check.

Simply the best…

We say it every year: the set up for conference play in the SEC is the very best in all of college baseball. Ten straight weekends. Thirty games. No breaks. Sink or swim.

As if kicking it up a notch is even necessary, the SEC enters league play with 10 teams in the Perfect Game Top 25 and two who are listed as “also considered.” Something has to give. Here’s a quick look at each of the seven series.

Mississippi State at Florida
This is a battle of the best freshman in the conference. JT Ginn has been special from start No. 1. Kendrick Calilao is already one of the most complete hitters in the league. Now they get their first taste of the real deal.

If we were to nitpick, the pitching in the SEC is a little down this year. That said, the trio of Ethan Small, Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich look the part of high draft picks. These are two Omaha-caliber teams going at it.

Tennessee at Auburn
We knew the Vols could pitch but this is out of control. Garrett Stallings has added a curveball and more velocity, Zach Lingenfelter is throwing strikes, Garrett Crochet has become an elite high-leverage reliever,and Andrew Schultz is throwing 100 mph. Most importantly, junior college transfer shortstop Ricky Martinez (Grayson College, Texas) has solidified the middle of the field.

Auburn has star power. Tanner Burns is an SEC Pitcher of the Year candidate and the trifecta of Will Holland, Steven Williams and Eduoard Julien are top-of-the-league players. While Davis Daniel has been working back to full health, Southern California lefthander Jack Owen has been dominant in the Saturday role.

Georgia at South Carolina
It is easy to forget that Georgia was a Top 8 seed last year. And this veteran group is quietly off to a 14-2 start. There were justifiable questions about this offense coming into 2019. The Bulldogs’ team batting average sits at .308 headed into SEC play.

South Carolina looked extremely vulnerable headed into this season as there is always a price to pay during a coaching transition. Mark Kingston and his staff have done an outstanding job assembling an older, albeit mostly inexperienced, team that plays with a real edge. Finally healthy, TJ Hopkins has become the star we always thought was in there. The pitching staff is loaded with freshmen and it takes a special rookie to thrive in this league.

Alabama at Ole Miss
Brad Bohannon and his staff are methodically upgrading the roster in Tuscaloosa. Once again, the Crimson Tide have dominated their non-conference slate. But for them to move up the standings, who will move down?

The Rebels offense is dynamic. This group is a little bit of everything: physical, athletic, experienced and deep. Thomas Dillard is an SEC Player of the Year candidate but the pitching staff currently has more questions than answers.

Missouri at Arkansas
As the most weather-challenged school in the league, Mizzou’s slower start (by SEC standards) can be forgiven. The Tigers offer two star players in TJ Sikkema and Kameron Misner. Sikemma matches up with anyone on Friday nights and Misner is tracking to be a first round pick. Can the rest of the roster rise up?

The Razorbacks lost a ton from the team that was one out away from a national championship. The star power remaining is immense: Heston Kjerstad, Casey Martin, Dominic Fletcher and Matt Cronin can each be the best player on the field at any time. Unlike last year, the pitching staff is more settled in the bullpen than in the rotation.

Vanderbilt at Texas A&M
Vandy’s offense may be the nation’s very best. JJ Bleday and Austin Martin are first round picks who are playing like stars, and this lineup has length. On the other hand, the pitching staff offers immense arm talent but still unsettled roles. If the pitching comes together this team has the upside to get to Omaha and make it a long stay.

The Aggies are a very interesting matchup for the Commodores. John Doxakis and Asa Lacy are lefthanders with premium stuff who will be a difficult matchup for Vandy’s critical lefthanded bats. The Texas A&M offense is last in the league in hitting at .261. Will they score enough?

Kentucky at LSU
Kentucky has had more players drafted in the last two seasons than any program in America. That is both good news and bad news as all of those players are now in professional baseball. This is a brand new team that will test its SEC mettle for the first time. That said, lefthander Zack Thompson has first round talent and TJ Collett’s raw power may be the best in the league.

LSU is reeling after being swept at Texas and losing a midweek contest to Northwestern State. Yet this roster has outstanding talent and Paul Mainieri is a master at peaking his Tigers at just the right time. The rotation has been a mess and that will be the key adjustment in SEC play.
Give us your feedback
College | Rankings | 6/25/2026

College Top 25: Final Update
Vincent Cervino
Article Image
With a postseason run for the ages, the Oklahoma Sooners (43-23) took home the National Championship and naturally finish the 2026 season as our No. 1 team in the land.  It is the third national title for the Sooners, playing in their 12th CWS and making their fourth championship series appearance.  They add to previous national titles won in 1951 and 1994 and did it by taking the most difficult path of any team in this year’s tournament.  In the NCAA Tournament, Oklahoma took down national seeds, No. 2 Georgia Tech twice, No. 3 Georgia twice, No. 5 UNC twice, No. 7 Alabama and No. 15 Kansas twice.  This was the second time that head coach Skip Johnson has led the Sooners to the CWS Championship Series since 2022 and the first time he has taken home the crown.  The North Carolina Tarheels (54-14) was one win away from their first national title and finish...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/2/2026

Freedom Classic Opens Holiday Weekend

Alyssa Golden
Article Image
More than 30 teams from the 14U-18U age divisions will head to Fort Myers, Florida this Fourth of July weekend for the seventh annual Perfect Game Freedom Classic. The tournament, running July 3-6, features several nationally ranked prospects from across the country as teams look to compete for a championship. Headlining the field are twin brothers Derek and Ryan Yormark of Merrick, New York. Right-handed pitcher Derek Yormack is the No. 51-ranked player in the class of 2027, the No. 1 player in New York and the No. 5-ranked right-handed pitcher in the country. First baseman Ryan Yormark comes in just behind his twin brother as the No. 3 overall player in New York, the No. 5 first baseman in the nation and the No. 90-ranked player nationally. Both brothers are committed to Vanderbilt. Derek Yormark has established himself as one of the top two-way prospects in the 2027 class. He has run...
Read More
High School | General | 7/1/2026

PG High School All-Americans

Tyler Russo
Article Image
High School Top 50: Final Update With the High School season all wrapped up, today we take a look at our First, Second and Third Team All-Americans from around the country. Below you'll find three teams with stats that seem otherworldly from players who'll likely hear their names called in the coming week's MLB Draft. Within the "Notable Stats" section you'll see the individual award winners as well. First Team All-American Pos.  Name Class School State Commitment Notable Stats C Cole Prosek 2026 Magnolia Heights MS Ole Miss .595 BA, 18 HR, 79 RBI 1B Will Adams 2026 Hoover AL LSU .489, 13 HR, 52 RBI IF James Tronstein 2026 Harvard-Westlake CA Vanderbilt .531, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 21 XBH IF Grady Emerson 2026 Fort Worth Christian TX Texas .508, 8 HR, 56 RBI, 34/35 SB, National POY IF Jacob Lombard 2026 Gulliver Schools FL Miami .477, 10 HR, 52 R, 42 H, 14 SB OF Martin Shelar 2026 Marist GA...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/1/2026

16u Elite Scout Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
16u Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2  ‘28 AJ Bonnette (TX) with 7 Ks thru 4 IP thus far, living 89-91 w/ heavy traits. Filling up all four quads & attacking hitters early in counts. Mixing a slurvy breaker & turning the CHG over well. @PG_Uncommitted #NatElite @Texas_PG pic.twitter.com/oz2XXoKHvt — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 30, 2026 Aj Bonnette (2028, Keller, Texas) showed out on both sides of the ball at the National Elite Championship, but really stood out on the mound Tuesday. He toed the rubber in round two of the playoffs, proceeding to toss six innings with eight punchouts and zero earned runs allowed. The 6-foot southpaw filled up all four quadrants of the strike zone, attacking hitters early and often with his fastball. The heater lived in the 88-91 mph range with heavy traits, often setting up his slurvy breaking ball. Bonnette showed good feel...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/1/2026

Performance Baseball Rolls On

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
Championship teams often reveal themselves when the game isn’t going their way. Performance Baseball 2028/Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team did exactly that. Trailing Florida Burn 2028 Scout through four innings, the Brewers refused to panic. Instead, they relied on timely hitting, consistent pitching, and an unselfish approach at the plate, rallying a five-run fifth inning before pulling away for a 9-5 victory to clinch their spot in the semifinals. The comeback was fueled by contributions throughout the lineup. Six different players drove in runs, including two RBIs each from Aiden Capobianco and Cameron Massey, while Matthew Heredia, Parker Weston, Ethan Smith, and Aj Bonnette each added an RBI of their own. On the mound, Derek Wenzel set the tone with 3.2 solid innings before Ethan Smith shut the door in relief, helping preserve the comeback victory. Although the Brewers have had a...
Read More
Tournaments | Championship | 7/1/2026

JK Select Hawaii Tackles 14u West WS

Emily Hicks
Article Image
JK Select Hawaii capped off an impressive tournament run by defeating GBG Vegas 14u Red14-4 in the championship game on Sunday at Goodyear Ballpark, claiming the 14u West World Series title. From the opening pitch, JK Select controlled the pace of the game. The offense jumped out early, scoring 6 runs in the 1st inning after timely hits from MVP Sean Shindo and Kade Manarpaac. The early lead gave the pitching staff confidence as they worked efficiently through the opposing lineup. “I've worked hard to get better at my game for the past few months; it means a lot that I did well and performed in a tournament like this” said Shindo. Starting pitcher Maddox Prones turned in a strong performance, allowing 3 runs while striking out 5 batters over 3 innings. The defense backed the effort with great plays in the middle infield, preventing GBG Vegas from building momentum....
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/1/2026

"Wow" Swings Catch Eyes at 16u Elite

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
On the second day of the 2026 Perfect Game National Elite Championship, one swing turned heads across the ballpark. The next one brought everyone to a stop. With Wow Factor Nation 16U trailing midway through its matchup against Sandlot Scout Team 2028, Micheal O'Connor launched a solo home run to spark the offense. Just one batter later, Aaron Frink stepped into the box and sent another ball over the fence, delivering back-to-back home runs that quickly became one of the most talked about moments of the tournament’s opening days. Parents gathered along the nets, players from previous games stopped to watch, and college scouts turned their attention toward the action as the two towering swings energized the crowd and brought new life to the game. Although Wow Factor Nation ultimately lost 5-3 after a hard-fought performance, the back-to-back home runs served as a reminder of the...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 6/30/2026

Stacked Runs the Table at 17u WWBA

Will Dembo
Article Image
Following a jam-packed week of entertainment at the 17u WWBA Championships, the top nationally ranked program, USA Prime 17u National/Detroit Tigers Scout Team, faced off against Stacked Baseball 17u (No. 80 nationally) in the highly anticipated championship matchup as both teams looked to earn one of the most prestigious titles in all of travel baseball. Each talented squad entered the finale undefeated, but Stacked Baseball continued their dominance throughout the tournament, defeating the Detroit Tigers Scout Team 10-2 in mercy rule fashion to become national champions behind explosive bats and impressive pitching. Stacked Baseball was the overwhelming top team throughout the week as the WWBA Champions outscored opponents by an absurd 117-12 during their 11-0 run. “We got some talented kids, but we played against a little bit of Goliath over there,” Stacked Head Coach Mike...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 6/30/2026

17u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 7

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
17u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4  Day 5 | Day 6 Shea Corona (2027, Brooklyn, N.Y.) showcased some loud stuff out of the bullpen for MLB Breakthrough Series 2027. The New York native and primary shortstop topped out at 93 with the fastball, sitting comfortable in the 90-92 range. Corona paired it with a sharp and tight slider at 81-83, staying on the same plane until late. The pitch plays well already and the delivery is very athletic. The uncommitted right-hander went three scoreless and was in the zone plenty, striking out two while not allowing a walk. '27 SS Moises Gudino (FL) continues to stay red hot, working a long AB & cracking an oppo 2B on the 8th pitch. Really seeing ing well. #WWBA @Florida_PG https://t.co/OjNJ8Bmzao pic.twitter.com/WoDDp35EI1 — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 30, 2026 Moises Gudino (2027, Tampa, Fla.)...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 6/30/2026

Texas Twelve Firing On Full Cylinders

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
Every team hopes to start a tournament with momentum, but few make a statement quite like Texas Twelve Maroon 2028. Matched up against defending champion Excel Blue Wave National to kick off their debut in the 2026 Perfect Game National Elite Championship, Texas Twelve Maroon delivered a complete team performance, earning a hard-fought 3-2 victory and immediately establishing themselves as one of the top teams to watch this week. The win showcased the balance that has made Texas Twelve Maroon a powerful team. Strong pitching, timely hitting, and steady defense all played a role as the team held off one of the tournament’s premier programs. Right-hander Ty Antley turned in an outstanding performance on the mound, throwing a complete game while allowing only five hits and two walks over seven innings. The High Follow prospect worked consistently between 85-89 mph and mixed in a sharp...
Read More
Tournaments | Championship | 6/30/2026

Flames Capture 18U BCS Title

Alyssa Golden
Article Image
Flames Natty used timely hitting and a dominant start from Beau Collier to defeat NLB American 7-3 and capture the 18U BCS National Championship on Monday at Lee Health Sports Complex. Despite being assembled just hours before the tournament began, the Flames quickly developed chemistry throughout the tournament. “This team was put together 12 hours before this tournament, and they went on a crazy run,” head coach Adam Vasquez said. “These kids know each other locally, but they don’t play together. For them to come together last minute like that, it’s crazy. I’m proud of them for that.” The game opened as a pitchers’ duel, with David Acevedo recording the lone hit through the first two innings. NLB American starter Hayden Graham kept the Flames in check early, allowing just one hit while striking out one over 2.0 innings. The right-hander...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.